Basterds, Woodstock Lead American-Deficient Cannes Lineup

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Organizers at the Cannes Film Festival today announced their 2009 line-up -- heavy on international flavor, light on the Stateside offerings, and virtually all predicted in previous ruminations about the 62nd annual event.

Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee have the only American films in competition, offering Inglourious Basterds and Taking Woodstock. Among the other 18 auteurs on the hunt for the Palme d'Or are Pedro Almodovar (Broken Embraces), Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon), Jane Campion (Bright Star), Alain Resnais (Les Herbes folles), and Ken Loach (Looking For Eric). The relatively heavy Asian contingent includes Tsai Ming-liang, Johnny To, Lou Ye and Park Chan-wook, while Euro-agitators Gaspar Noé and Lars Von Trier will do their polarizing best with Enter the Void and Antichrist, respectively.

The Terry Gilliam question mark fell away as well, with his The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (featuring Heath Ledger's last role) receiving a berth out of competition. Michel Gondry has something new as well (L'epine dans le coeur), about which nobody seems to know anything, and barring its continued legal legal limbo, Sundance winner Precious (née Push) will screen in the Un Certain Regard section.

Movieline will have troops on the Croisette; look for more here once the fest opens May 13. In the interim, browse the complete 2009 line-up below and call your shots in the comments for this year's big winner.

IN COMPETITION

Bright Star, Australia-U.K.-France, Jane Campion

Spring Fever, China-France, Lou Ye

Antichrist, Denmark-Sweden-France-Italy, Lars von Trier

Enter the Void, France, Gaspar Noe

Face, France-Taiwan-Netherlands-Belgium, Tsai Ming-liang

Les Herbes folles, France-Italy, Alain Resnais

In the Beginning, France, Xavier Giannoli

A Prophet, France, Jacques Audiard

The White Ribbon, Germany-Austria-France, Michael Haneke

Vengeance, Hong Kong-France-U.S., Johnnie To

The Time That Remains, Israel-France-Belgium-Italy, Elia Suleiman

Vincere, Italy-France, Marco Bellocchio

Kinatay, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza

Thirst, South Korea-U.S., Park Chan-wook

Broken Embraces, Spain, Pedro Almodovar

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, Spain, Isabel Coixet

Fish Tank, U.K.-Netherlands, Andrea Arnold

Looking for Eric, U.K.-France-Belgium-Italy, Ken Loach

Inglourious Basterds, U.S., Quentin Tarantino

Taking Woodstock, U.S., Ang Lee

OUT OF COMPETITION

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Canada-France, Terry Gilliam

The Army of Crime, France, Robert Guediguian

Agora, Spain, Alejandro Amenabar

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

A Town Called Panic, Belgium, Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar

Ne te retourne pas, France-Belgium-Luxembourg-Italy, Marina de Van

Drag Me to Hell, U.S., Sam Raimi

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Petition, China, Zhao Liang

L'epine dans le coeur, France, Michel Gondry

Min ye, France-Mali, Souleyumane Cisse

Jaffa, Israel-France-Germany, Keren Yedaya

Manila, Philippines, Adolfo Alix Jr., Raya Martin

My Neighbor, My Killer, U.S., Anne Aghion

UN CERTAIN REGARD

Samson & Delilah, Australia, Warwick Thornton

Adrift, Brazil, Heitor Dhalia

The Wind Journeys, Colombia, Ciro Guerra

Demain des l'aube, France, Denis Dercourt

Irene, France, Alain Cavalier

Independance, Philippines-France-Germany, Raya Martin

Le Pere de mes enfants, France-Germany, Mia Hansen-Love

Dogtooth, Greece, Yorgos Lanthimos

Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats, Iran, Bahman Ghobadi

Eyes Wide Open, Israel, Haim Tabakman

Mother, South Korea, Bong Joon-ho

The Silent Army, Netherlands, Jean van de Velde

To Die Like a Man, Portugal, Joao Pedro Rodrigues

Police, Adjective, Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu

Tales from the Golden Age, Romania, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana Uricaru

Tale in the Darkness, Russia, Nikolay Khomeriki

Tzar, Russia-France, Pavel Lounguine

Nymph, Thailand, Pen-ek Ratanaruang

Precious, U.S., Lee Daniels

· Cannes unveils lineup [Variety]



Comments

  • JudgeFudge says:

    Okay so, what are we thinking. Will Basterds be 2009's Apocalypse Now at Cannes, or will it open like Meddelin did in that one epsidoe of Entourage?

  • Colander says:

    The French 'got' Deathproof, so with Brad Pitt in there, I say the worst this movie could do is a "meh".

  • dan says:

    I don't see how an international film festival where 2 of the 20 competition films are American is "American-Deficient." Maybe if it was a North American film festival, sure, but I think 10% of the films being American is plenty for an international (i.e. every country in the world) competition. What's the problem here?

  • Evlsushi says:

    It's sad that Medellin has become an industry standard for over-hyped films at Cannes.
    Or was that Southland Tales?